Gateway Village—Today

Provide faculty and staff with more recreational outdoor resources for collaboration and to strengthen a sense of community.

Gateway Village—Proposed Building and Campus Improvements

The existing arrival experience to the Lorman Campus has a unique character that can be enhanced with a few key moves.

Visibility of the Carter Dairy from ASU Drive is a challenge due to existing tree cover and a significant uphill slope. Enhanced landscaping and monumental signage could activate this slope, drawing the eyes of visitors toward the Welcome Center as they enter the campus.

The existing rows of mature trees at the campus entrance are an attractive landscape feature that contributes to the quality and character of the campus. The extension of this rhythm of trees into the campus core would reinforce ASU Drive as the main campus spine that connects different neighborhoods, with periodic breaks in the tree cover to preserve views across the grounds.

Alcorn State has a rich and unique landscape that can only be enhanced with a focus on infrastructure.

While the atrium at the Ecology Building is inviting and well-used for community gatherings, it is somewhat disconnected from surrounding areas of the campus. Creating new landscape and pedestrian connections between this event space and the new Welcome Center at the Carter Dairy would better support the function and character of both facilities.

Within the faculty housing village, overly exposed outdoor amenity spaces could be enhanced with more shelter and functionality for neighborhood residents.

Ten Year Plan

Carter Dairy Welcome Center, with Parking

Welcome Center Landscape, including Silo Plaza and Pedestrian Bridge

Monument Signage at Main Campus Entrance

Security Gate / Welcome Kiosk Expansion

Long Term / Independent

Bookstore / Visitor Retail at Welcome Center

Event Lawn at Ecology Building Atrium

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Building

Entrance Road for Visitors and Game Day

Fire and EMS Center and Garage at Parker Building

Faculty/Staff Housing Phase 2 and Lawn

Faculty Orchard Path

Widened Highway 552

Potential Development East of 552 (10 acres)

Campus Air Strip Vision

The Campus Air Strip neighborhood celebrates the campus’s beautiful lakes and landscapes as well as the University’s athletics traditions. The Braves, Alcorn’s beloved intercollegiate varsity football team, attracts large crowds to the campus on game days, and this historic former aircraft runway provides significant additional capacity for visitor traffic and parking demand.

A new game day entrance from Highway MS552 brings visitors to the repurposed air strip and expanded RV park: a place for game day activities such as tailgating, barbeques, and meeting up with friends and family along the scenic journey to Casem Stadium. In addition to providing a new route to the stadium, the air strip and the adjacent new Lake Shore Trail offer attractive views of the campus lakes and grounds that are a defining feature of the Lorman Campus.

An indoor event pavilion and associated gazebos frame pastoral views of the lakes and grounds, offering rentable spaces for campus and community gatherings such as retreats, picnics, and weddings with parking conveniently located along Air Strip Road.

Provide a pavilion, gazebos, and trails for rentable campus and community events

Repurpose the historic airstrip as game day parking, tailgating, and a vehicle and pedestrian route to Casem Stadium

Campus Air Strip—Today

The campus air strip is currently unused and overgrown, and can only be accessed from the existing RV parking or the campus’s walking and cycling trail. Better integration of the air strip as an amenity within the broader campus mobility and open space system has the potential to enhance campus and community access to natural areas of the campus, accommodate beautiful views of the campus grounds, and support game day events.

With its proximity to the football stadium, the existing RV parking serves game day visitors well but needs additional capacity. Further expansion of RV parking with a new lot connected to the stadium would help to meet demand for game day events.

The air strip also contains significant potential to accommodate additional game day parking. The introduction of a direct path from the air strip along the existing earthen dam could support new parking in this area.

Campus Air Strip—Proposed Building and Campus Improvements